FireStone

My son just crossed over and we're debadging his uniform shirt that still fits perfectly well. Don't want to buy a new one if I can help it. But the removed badges left some bits of a glue-like residue on the shirt. All badges were sewn on, no badge magic. The residue looks like it's just from the badge backing. Is there any trick to removing this stuff. Or can it even be removed at all?

I saw a facebook post/rumor that the BSA is possibly voting next month on whether to continue STEM programs. I know, it's a facebook post, far from reliable. But it sounded somewhat credible. Anyone have anything more concrete on this? If true, I can't say that I'd be surprised. But it also seems premature to just do away with them. More likely I'd expect National to revamp the STEM programs. The current requirements, at least at the Cub level that I've worked with, seem kinda of oddly positioned next to the adventurous outdoorsy program we're more known for. Especially post-COVID (i

But we're really talking about structure within a structure. Within another structure, really. The Pack has it's own structure, dens, etc. We show up at camp and that in itself is structured, being there at a certain time, in a certain place, in a specific campsite, meal times, etc. And then within that we add in scheduled activities, be at the BB range at X time, then we're hiking here, then we're doing lunch, then archery... I think the mix of structure and free play is what works best for the widest array of families. We're not going to the neighborhood park and letting them loose on t

Another Den Leader made the comment upon seeing the Eagle square knot on my uniform that I must be the resident expert on being a DL. My response was that I'm not, at least not based on that square knot, because no part of the Eagle requirements cover cat herding.

We've been working to reduce meal excess, too. We had a guy who was a real foodie a few years back and while the meals he prepared were great, the amount of gear and work it required of all of the adults was too much. We were lugging heavy stoves, grills, coolers, etc. I actually got a hernia from lifting one of the coolers. Now we do much more light-weight cooking, smaller portable stoves as needed, simpler meal plans. And everyone is happier because of it. It's less work and stress on the adults, and everyone has more time to enjoy the camp.

Quickest way to ruin a camping trip is to plan out every minute. Our good trips are the ones where we have a morning thing, and afternoon thing, and everything else is free-range. My son's first camping trip with our Pack years ago was over-planned. Despite lots of activities on the schedule, at the end of the weekend when I asked him what his favorite part was he said, "Log battles" (2 scouts stood on a log and battled to see who could stay on longest). 😄

We do a Pack meeting with various stations explaining camping basics, setting up tents, what to pack, how to stay comfortable, etc. I often run the "camp comfort" station and try to make it fun for the cubs with goofy stuff like putting on different kinds of hats and having them pick which one is best for the cool Northeast 40º nights we get around here. I'll bring a bunch of random hats like a Super Mario hat, old airplane pilot hat, straw cowboy hat, etc., and end with a lightweight but warm beanie. We talk about staying warm and dry. Uncomfortable kids (and adults) can quickly grow to

Thanks everyone. I think I saw "service" and immediately jumped to ideas similar to our typical Cub Scout services projects. And not that those wouldn't necessarily qualify for this either, I just got thinking on this wrapped up in that more "standard" scenario. When in reality, and especially after reading the comments here, this needs to be viewed from a more personal spiritual perspective. I like the idea of presenting this as a question of who in the scout's life could use some help with something, and let them (with their parent and/or spiritual leader) answer that question. That def

I don't know why but I'm stuck on this one. It reads more like an individual act than a service project: " Under the direction of your parent, guardian, or religious or spiritual leader, do an act of service for someone in your family, neighborhood, or community. Talk about your service with your family. Tell your family how it related to doing your duty to God." Any ideas or suggestions for this? I've got a bunch of scouts that need to complete this requirement and not a whole lot of ideas to give them. And I'm interpreting this as something that should be viewed more as an individu

Is there an official BSA policy on Cub Scouts being dropped off for den or pack meetings with no parent present? My understanding is that from 2nd grade and above, drop-offs are ok, but I can't seem to find any documentation on this. Anyone aware of any official BSA stance on this?

Scouts UK now has a Squirrels program starting at age 4. It's only a matter of time before the BSA acts on the realization that they are missing out on this additional year of collecting dues instead of waiting until they are 5-year-old Kindergarteners. i skipped the Lions year with my daughter. I still feel Tigers is even too young. 2nd grade is the ideal minimum age to start scouting. On the original subject of cost, my Pack does one unified neckerchief for all ranks. I don't require my dens have the handbooks, everything is available online. And we don't require the uniform pants.

Kids will often say they'd rather stay home, relax, play video games, etc. My son is for sure one of those kids. But I also see my son absolutely love scout experiences and activities. He came home from summer camp just so happy with the experience, saying he loved camp, that it was awesome, etc. It's not a lack of enjoyment or a preference to do other things, I think kids still genuinely love outdoor adventure and the type of fun that scouting offers. The issue for me personally (and maybe for scouting more broadly) is convincing kids (and parents) to embrace this kind of adventure, to t

That confused me as well. Seems kind of odd to test mid-week if you're not testing before camp, too. Only doing mid-week testing means you aren't paying much attention to how scouts and leaders are coming in to camp, if any are actually sick. Those pre-event checklists aren't exactly fail-safe, testing is more reliable than self-diagnosis checklist forms. Especially when kids are more often asymptomatic. I'm generally not a big cheerleader for my local council, but on this issue I'm glad they implemented a pre-camp testing requirement for all council summer camps. We knew going to camp th

Cubs cannot advance in rank at their own pace like in a Troop. They can only reach the rank that their current grade level allows. So Awarding rank at the end of the year (or some other predetermined time) is the way to go. Adventure belt loops and pins are the method of awarding achievement in between ranks. Scouts should be recognized for what they have achieved in a timely manner, but ranks probably are best left to be awarded together at some pre-determined time or event.

It can be done. The cub camp I went to with my son required testing within 72 hours of arrival for all unvaccinated attendees. Most scouts in our Pack went to a testing clinic the day before, we can get both rapid and PCR tests done around here in under 18 hours. If they tested on Friday and arrived at camp on Saturday, the likelihood of exposure in that small window of time is very low. It's not perfect, for sure, but it helps. And I have to imagine that in some of these cases where COVID made its way into camps, pre-camp testing might have prevented it.

Anyone know what their testing protocol was? They mentioned a pre-event medical screening checklist, seems that COVID testing wasn't a part of it. Probably could have avoided this if they did have a pre-camp testing requirement. I know some parents aren't happy about putting kids through the testing. But it's a reality we're stuck with right now. Either we test everyone right before camp or we end up testing everyone anyway when a suspected outbreak occurs.

The funny thing is we have pretty much the ideal opportunity to sell that kind of outdoor fun right now. Parents are favoring outdoor activities over indoor because of COVID, and the BSA still encouraging the same, if you can do something outside instead of inside do it outside. I haven't held a den meeting indoors since Feb 2020. We're pretty good at getting kids outside and having fun. If only we had a National marketing campaign available to us to reach local families with that kind of outdoors-heavy message. Instead, the latest marketing materials and stock photography we have from na

You're not wrong, I get it, I'm breaking rules. I'm not telling scouts that this is how I get badges or t-shirts or whatever else made. There isn't a Pack or Troop what hasn't bent some rules. Does everyone here live 100% by the rules of the BSA, every document, every code, uniform code, etc? I know that doesn't excuse it either, but it's just sometimes how we keep things moving, locally, reducing the council or national interference. As long as it's not something that goes against YPT, I'm ok with bending a rule like this.

The BSA was on a path to extinction a long time ago. That path has just branched off in some random directions over the years. The current branch (the abuse settlements) might be accelerating things, but we've been in this struggle in some form for way too long. Who are we, why are we relevant today, what do we offer kids that makes them want to be scouts, what should a modern sustainable scouting program look like? All questions we've all asked and no one, not even National, has answered. I'm all out of excuses to give parents. How many years in a row can I say "Well, we're still cheaper

Council staff does seem excessive. The few interactions I've had at the Council office left me feeling like there is a lot of bloat. That and they seem to not mind the appearance of being a high-cost operation. The office dress code seems to be semi-formal, suit and tie. Which for a Scouting organization strikes me as very odd and out of place. I was there once when the entire staff was headed to the conference room for a big lunch, I'm sure on the Council's dime. No one was brown-nagging it, they had ordered a ton of food from somewhere. The building was recently renovated, fancy new lob

A phone is a tool, like any other, and likewise should be taught to be used appropriately. It could have a lot of uses in a scouting setting, but unfortunately many units ban them. And in some cases, as evidenced by this thread, they even cite non-existent policies to enforce a ban. I think we're doing a disservice to scouts to just say "no phones" instead of recognizing that technology is here to stay and guiding them on how and when to use it in a scouting setting appropriately.

Good to hear it went well. I'm definitely looking forward to Cub resident camp next month, it will be nice to be back. Interesting (although not surprising) to hear that so many units share the same struggles and lack of district/council leadership on keeping meetings going during the shutdown. I'm less than enthused lately about many council-related topics and lack of support, so I guess this shouldn't have been a surprise either. My council comes around when they want money. When we need them, forget it. Our local Packs and Troops have held meetings outdoors and done pretty well de

I don't think that is entirely compatible with the modern BSA program. When BP said that, scouting had a handful of badges, all of which were hands-on-learning/doing based, most in the outdoors. Not a lot of organic opportunities in the outdoors to earn Citizenship badges and rank reqs, Family Life, Personal Management, service projects, etc. For better or worse, the program has evolved into something where advancement opportunities sometimes have to be created, either by the unit, patrol, or by the scouts individually.

I think there is supposed to be a balance, to mix the fun/adventure with the advancement program. The kids show up for both. They want adventure but they also want that next rank badge, and recognizing achievement is one of the key ingredients of the scouting method. But how to strike that balance, what the right ratio is, I have no idea and I applaud anyone who can figure it out. Likewise with the AOL part of this discussion, striking a similar balance between getting AOLs prepared to join a troop, giving them enough knowledge and skill to confidently enter Troop life but not so muc

Good to see another uniform with blue epaulets and a lodge flap. Not a common sight around here. 😄